Success despite lockdown!

We’ve abided by the Christmas restrictions, cancelled the New Year’s Eve parties, waved at friends or relatives from a safe distance (if we’ve been lucky enough to see them at all) and eaten our body weight in “Christmas treats”. But it’s ok, 2020 is over and 2021 is going to be so much better……. Oh.

So here we are again, in another national lockdown. Although, at least there is hope on the horizon in the form of vaccines. We’ve been living through lockdowns and restrictions for 10 months now, and it’s hard. However, it is still possible to make progress towards our goals, despite all the restrictions. The steps we take might only be small, and there may well be a few unexpected detours along the way. But we can still get there.

Just after lockdown started (the first one) a new participant signed up to HeadsUp. She’d only just moved into the area, didn’t know anyone and was struggling with anxiety. However, she was determined to make progress towards her dream – starting her own upcycling and restoration business.

She already had experience in woodworking but knew there were certain skills that she needed to learn. We started looking at courses (most of which were practical and therefore not running) and discussed how she could gain some experience – through contacting other upcyclers, spending time with them, asking for work experience, volunteering and networking. We soon realised that most of these things wouldn’t be possible due to Covid-19, but I could hear her confidence growing when she talked about getting in touch with small businesses and chatting with them, with a view to meeting up once it was safe.

Ultimately, with my help, this participant was able to find and arrange a one-to-one workshop (when it was safe to do so) , and sign up to an online digital marketing & social media course. So, she would have the skills to start her business and build a network of contacts whilst she waited for the world to figure out what exactly “new normal” would look like.

But her confidence didn’t grow in just the one area. I frequently spoke to her and she’d tell me about problems or challenges that she’d dealt with and overcome with little anxiety compared to before she joined HeadsUp. This participant was determined to make the best of the situation and use her time to learn and grow. I’m so proud of everything that she achieved during her time with me – and I never even got to meet her!